


Forget physics, we have chemistry.

by VulpesVulpes713, watsonthebox



Series: Fic Wars [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 'study date', First Date, Flirting, Laith, M/M, Texting, another fic war?, klance, klance fluff, mild NSFW, sure, sure boys, who knows where that will go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 16:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12891489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VulpesVulpes713/pseuds/VulpesVulpes713, https://archiveofourown.org/users/watsonthebox/pseuds/watsonthebox
Summary: This was a spontaneous fic war that happened after I postedthistext post on tumblrLance, texting Keith:Studying on a Friday night? Involve alcohol and I’m in. Maybe flirty Keith will make an appearance.Keith, to Pidge:I don’t get it. Wouldn’t alcohol hinder studying?Pidge:Yeah…dude, he has no intention of studying.Keith:But I need an A in this class!Pidge:You may want an A, but he thinks you want the D.Keith:Why would I want a D! That ruins my GPA!Pidge:ಠ_ಠAnd then @watsonthebox added this:*Matt joins in*Matt: Keith…he’s trying to make a pass.Keith: Well I sure hope so! He needs to pass this class for his degree!Pidge: *deeply inhales and pinches the bridge of their nose*Matt: *bruises his forehead from facepalming so hard*And then she went ahead and started an entire fic so blame her for this. (or thank)





	Forget physics, we have chemistry.

**Author's Note:**

> see the post [here](https://vulpes--vulpes.tumblr.com/post/168104834392/watsonthebox-vulpesvulpes-vulpesvulpes)

 

 

 

[ ](https://tmblr.co/m7IFaibY52F61fdJKvBDfMQ)

It’s been seventeen minutes and thirty-four seconds. Not that Lance was counting.

..okay, he was. Sue him.

Lance let his fingers drum against his desk, staring at the lit screen of his phone, his open physics textbook and scattered notes ignored.

The screen begin to dim, and Lance quickly tapped it, letting his fingers drum faster against the wood.

There was no response from Keith, not even those text bubbles to indicate that he was typing a response.

Just a little note that said “read.”

And it was killing Lance.

 

Lance groaned and let his head drop against the desk with a loud thump, causing Hunk, who was finishing up his homework, to jump at the sudden noise.

 

“Lance, buddy? You okay?”

“Am I pretty Hunk?”

…what?

That wasn’t what Hunk was expecting.

“Um..what?”

Lance quickly turned in his chair, letting his arm dangle over the sides with his face against the back of the chair, smushing his cheek.

“Am I pretty? Are my flirts the best? Do I dress so fly that I attach the honeys, or am I going to die alone?”

 

If Lance didn’t look so miserable, Hunk would’ve rolled his eyes. Instead, Hunk rose from the squeaky couch (they really needed to buy a new one), and walk over to his pouting friend.

Hunk gave him a knowing look as patted the top of his head.

 

“Is it Keith problems again?”

 

“Yes!! I’ve texted him with a, if I do say so myself, great flirtatious text, and he still hasn’t responded!” Lance tapped his phone. “And it’s been over eighteen minutes! He left me on read!”

 

Hunk nodded his head in empathy, patting Lance’s head once again.

 

“Lance, you are very handsome, and you have a great sense of humor and style. Although you’re flirts are almost always cheesy-“

“Hey!”

“Anybody would be happy to have you as their boyfriend. I’m sure Keith is busy studying.”

 

Lance lifted his head to stare into Hunk’s eyes, squinting a bit, trying to find any lies behind his words.

When realizing Hunk meant every word, Lance would be a liar if he said his vision suddenly became a bit blurry and his smile wobbled a little.

 

“Hunk, you’re the best. The absolute best there is. When we turn fourty and if we’re still not married, let’s just me and you get married.”

 

Hunk smile and made his way back to the couch, throwing “okay” over his shoulder, making Lance laugh.

 

Lance let out a small sigh and rubbed the side of his face.

A few moments passed.

 

“Hey Hunk?”

“Yeah?”

“…wanna play Twister?”

“Yeah, okay.”

[ ](https://tmblr.co/mqFh-MvIxlAUc55vDF-4MMQ)

“What do you  _mean_  that’s what he meant!?” Keith shrieked, tossing his phone across the room so it landed softly on the couch Matt was sitting on.

The boy glanced down at the device with a poorly hid smile, before picking it up and scrolling through the series of texts Lance had sent Keith that day.

“Oh ho,” he chortled, and Pidge moved to sit next to him. “He for  _sure_  wants in your pants.”

A groan escaped Keith’s lips, but whether it was one of annoyance or…something else, was a mystery.

The smaller Holt rolled her eyes as she took the phone from her brother.

“I mean, to be fair, you  _were_  sending some pretty spicy texts yourself Keith. I think Lance was just playing alone with the vibe you guys set up.”

Keith leaned back in his chair, homework forgotten as he covered his heating face with his hands.

“How!?” He held up a hand to prevent Pidge from answering, deciding immediately that he cared not for her play-by-play of his and Lance’s messages. “Actually never mind. Just tell me what to do!”

Matt stood, snatching the phone from Pidge’s grasp and handing it back to Keith with a sly smile.

“Tell him you’re into it.”

_What?!_

“I can’t do that!” Keith balked, and Matt huffed out a breath.

“Sure you can. Unless you don’t want to. I just thought you liked this guy. Pidge says he’s all you ever talk about.”

Keith blinked in surprise, before shooting a glare in Pidge’s direction.

“Exactly how much have you told him?”

She shrugged, a sly smile creeping over her lips, but Matt answered for her.

“Enough to know you  _for sure_  are not opposed to him giving you a D-“

“Gah! Stop!” Keith interrupted, slamming his hands over his ears. Matt laughed, moving back to the couch and messing Pidge’s hair in the process. Neither sibling looked nearly as invested in what was going on in Keith’s life currently as he would have liked. He needed their help, which was proof for how desperate he was.

_Stupid Shiro and his late night classes._

_He would know exactly what to do._

“Guys, seriously. What the hell do I say to this?”

Pidge sighed heavily, as though answering Keith’s question was the greatest chore in the universe.

“Keith, dude. Listen to me.” She stood, getting up close to his face and forcing his eyes to cross as he struggled to maintain her gaze. “You and I both know that a study session with Lance would result in  _absolutely_   _no studying._ ”

“It would-“

“Nope,” Pidge cut him short, sitting on the edge of his desk as she picked up his phone again. “I see you in class, always staring at him from across the room. It would be the exact same if you got together to study. Only I wouldn’t be there to mediate things, and neither would Hunk.”

Keith was about to protest, but he stopped himself as the truth to Pidge’s words hit him. Pidge sort of  _was_  his buffer when it came to talking with Lance, since she knew the guy that typically hung out with him. And whenever she and Hunk started talking, Keith would use that opportunity to exchange a few pleasantries with Lance as well.

Sure, they had been texting back and forth for a few weeks now, but aside from those few late-night messages, he and Lance didn’t typically hang out.

He hadn’t considered how he would go about initiating conversation with the guy without Pidge there to break the ice when he had first invited Lance to study. How the hell was he supposed to do that when it was just the two of them together?!

_Oh god…I made a mistake!_

Pidge must have sensed his inner panic, and rolled her eyes as she forced the phone back into his hands.

“Listen,” she said, and he stared up at her. “You like Lance. And I know for a fact that he likes you.”

“How?”

She raised a brow at his confused expression. “I’m friends with Hunk, remember? The guy likes to gossip.”

_Oh…_

“And  _you_  asked Lance to study, since you’re in the same class and finals are coming up, so why are you so scared all of a sudden?”

Keith lowered his gaze down to the desk, pointedly ignoring the phone in his hands.

“I don’t…I’m not sure. I wasn’t expecting him to say yes? And then he replied with that text and you guys started saying all this stuff and-” he exhaled, letting his head fall to the table with a groan. “All I wanted was some help with physics and maybe a chance to get to know him a bit more.”

A hand landed lightly on his shoulder, and Keith heard Pidge mumble something under her breath that sounded a lot like ‘you’re hopeless’.

“Do you really just want to study?”

Keith considered for a moment. When he had asked Lance it had been a spur of the moment thing. A late-night, sleep-deprived idea that he hadn’t expected to get an answer for. And when he had, things had sort of taken a downward spiral into flirtatious exchanges, as they usually did.

And then Lance had sent  _that_ , talking about their would-be study session as if it were…as if it  _could_   _be_ , so much more than that.

It was one thing to flirt over text.

It was a  _completely different_  thing to do it in person.

Keith wasn’t prepared for that, but, on the other hand…maybe he was?

_Ugh, why is this all so confusing!?_

“Well?” Pidge urged, and he sat up once more.

“I don’t know…”

“I think you do.”

He grunted, finally bringing his phone up to his face and staring at the last message Lance had sent. Pidge, as always, was right.

_Fuck it. Imma do it._

“But what should I say?” he asked again, and Matt answered from his position on the couch.

“Say you’ll bring the flirts if he brings the booze.”

“Shut up you big lard,” Pidge called back, and her brother snickered as Keith’s ears burned. She turned back to him with a knowing look. “Say it how it is. Be direct. And if it turns out shitty, then free beer, right?”

Keith nodded after a moment, then set his jaw as he tapped his screen to reply.

_Right. Say it how it is._

In the small box above the keyboard, Keith wrote out three words. A simple sentence that he hoped wouldn’t ruin the friendship he’d managed to cultivate with Lance over the semester. A mere phrase that held so much potential…so much  _promise_ , that he hesitated before pressing send.

He held the phone out for Pidge to see.

“Like this?”

She grinned, nodding once before jumping down off his desk.

“Perfect,” she said, and sat down next to her brother on the couch, mission accomplished apparently.

Keith swallowed thickly, finger twitching as it hovered over the enter key.

He could do this. It was easy really. Just a simple text. No biggie.

_And if he says no then I’ll just drop out and live in the desert. Good. Solid plan._

And then, with a boldness he didn’t know he possessed, Keith slammed his finger down, and a small green bubble appeared on his screen, holding the words that would either ruin his chances with Lance or make them a reality.

**_It’s a date._ **

[ ](https://tmblr.co/m7IFaibY52F61fdJKvBDfMQ)

Lance was  _not_ pouting. Nope, most certainly not. So what if Keith still hadn’t responded to him (it’s been over twenty-five minutes)?

Lance decided not to worry about it and devote his attention back to physics. He had even placed his phone on the kitchen counter so he wouldn’t check it every thirty seconds.

So yeah, Lance was fine. It was okay if Keith didn’t want to hang out with him or study or whatever. It was fine! It didn’t bother him!

_So what if Keith doesn’t respond? It wasn’t like I was excited or anything._

Okay, Lance was lying to himself. Just a smidge.

_I’m just gonna focus on my homework. That’s me! Responsible ole Lancey Lance! I won’t think of Keith and his stupid mullet and pretty eyes and kind smile._

Lance was focused, pulling the textbook closer to his chest.

_Just me and my unbreakable concentration. Nothing is gonna stop me from finishing this physics, because I have the strongest will and self control, and nothing will ever break-_

And then Lance’s phone chimed.

Lance fell out of his chair, scrambling off the floor and practically running to the kitchen.

So much for an unbreakable concentration.

Lance’s heart raced as he quickly unlocked his phone with slightly trembling fingers.

And then his heart stopped when he read what Keith had sent.

**_It’s a date._ **

An unholy shriek ripped out of Lance’s throat.

Hunk came sprinting out of his room, face flushed with a tennis racket in hand.

“Lance! Are you okay?! Is it a burglar? Is it a spider? Oh god, please let it be a burglar instead.”

Hunk was starting to grew increasingly concerned as he watched as Lance kept switching his gaze from Hunk back to his phone, pointing at the screen with his mouth hung wide open.

“Uh…buddy? Can you use words?”

Hunk jumped at the explosion that followed.

“I HAVE TO BUY ALCOHOL ASAP!!”

Lance scurried over to Hunk, throwing his arms around his neck and gave him a tight squeeze.

Lance chuckled at Hunk’s bewildered expression, pulling away and giving him a gentle pat on the cheek.

“Sorry Hunk, but we might to call off that wedding.”

Lance ran his finger through his hair, giving Hunk his signature wink and fingerguns.

“It seems like I, Lance, have a  _date_ with the one and only Keith, the damn sexy mullet-head himself!”

Hunk shoulder sagged with relief as let the tennis racket fall to his side, thankful there wasn’t any danger or intruder.

“Lance you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“Sorry!” Lance couldn’t help the smirk that spread across his face. “I’m not to stop a few hearts.”

Hunk rolled his eyes at that one, shaking his head.

“Save the flirting for Keith when he gets here.” Hunk paused. “Do I need to leave? I won’t hear anything…inappropriate will I?”

Lance nearly combusted in embarrassment. Lance didn’t need a mirror to know that his face was redder than a certain someone’s jacket.

“N-NO! I’m not gonna invite him just for his body. Although, he does have a nice body. Have you seen how  _tight_  his-“

“Lance!”

Lance at least had the decency to look sheepish.

“Heh, sorry. But no, I’m a proper gentleman! Mama raised me better than that! I just wanted to hang out with him and get to know him better. And what better way to loosen up the lips than some liquid courage? No pun intended.” Lance wiggles his eyebrows.

Lance chuckled as he heard Hunk sigh heavily, no doubt shaking his head at his antics.

Lance quickly grabbed his phone and jacket, tripping while he tried to put his shoes on and walk toward the door at the same time.

“I’ll be back soon! You can stay if you want! We can still play Twister later if you want, thought it may turn into drunk Twister.”

Hunk just hummed and made his way back to his room, not before telling Lance to be careful (like the mother hen he was).

Lance practically skipped his way out of Hunk and his shared apartment, fingers flying across the keyboard on his phone as he sent Keith a response.

Lance hit send and stuffed his phone in his jacket pocket, cheeks hurting from smiling so wide.

_Yeah, I’m definitely excited._

Lance made his way to the nearest store, feeling as though the air was slightly more fresh, the birds chirping more happily, and the sky brighter.

Lance couldn’t remember the last time he was this giddy for a date.

Actually, he didn’t think he ever  _was_  this giddy for a date. Ever.

All that was needed now was Keith’s response.

Lance nearly tripped.

_Oh fuck. Not this again. Please, whoever is listening, let Keith respond just a liiiitle bit faster. You know, so I don’t die of an aneurism._

Lance pushed the negative thoughts aside, choosing to be optimistic.

Now it was all a waiting game.

_**Give me thirty minutes and then come over when you’re ready ;)** _

[ ](https://vulpes--vulpes.tumblr.com/)

The noise Keith made was not entirely human.

Looking back on it, Pidge would describe it as prehistoric, as if her best friend had been possessed by the soul of a pterodactyl as he read over the new message on his phone.

She hadn’t needed to ask what Lance had sent back; Keith had done the honours of repeating the text several times over as he paced nervously around the room.

It was when Matt got up to leave with the excuse of ‘seeking more sane company’ that she finally intervened.

“Keith, breathe, please. You’re gonna freak out the landlord with all your stomping around.”

“Pidge, Pidge!” He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking them gently to emphasize the point he was about to make. “He wants to meet up! In thirty minutes!”

Pidge rolled her eyes, slipping out from under Keith’s grasp and wandering into the kitchen.

“I heard. So go get ready!”

Keith’s mouth fell open, and she was very much tempted to take a photo for blackmail purposes, but her bestie was suffering enough already without her added input.

Keith was quick to recover anyway, and stormed after her, shaking his phone as if to prove the message was real and had come through on his screen and he wasn’t hallucinating the whole thing.

“’Get  _ready?!’_  I can’t just  _get ready!_ ”

“Why not?” Pidge mused as she rummaged the cupboards for a snack. Her own study session had long since gone out the window, and Keith was not helping matters in the slightest. “You were the one that asked him to study-”

“Yeah but not  _now_ ,” Keith complained, tapping nervously at the sides of his cell as his eyes scanned over the message once again. “I was thinking we could plan something…set a time…a place…make it-”

“A date?” Pidge finished for him, and Keith scowled down at her.

“No! I mean, maybe-” he spluttered, cheeks turning pink, and she grinned at his bashfulness.

“So he rushed things a bit, so what? Aren’t you the impulsive one anyway?”

Keith huffed, clearly unamused by her response.

“Listen, if you want more time then tell him now before he does something drastic.”

“It’s not that-” Keith began, but cut himself off as his eyebrows flew up on his forehead. “Oh shit…I need to answer! What the hell do I say?!”

Pidge didn’t even bother with a response. Instead she snatched the phone from out of Keith’s hands and sent Lance a thumbs up, followed by the knife emoji since that was all that was in Keith’s most recent list.

He was gaping at her as she handed the phone back, and didn’t wait for his reply as she strode from the room.

“YOU SENT HIM EMOJIS ARE YOU JOKING ME?!”

“I’m speaking his language.”

Keith harrumphed, hastily tapping out a new message to explain the random reply.

**_Sorry, Pidge grabbed my phone._ **

He deleted the text after a moment’s consideration however, thinking it not ideal for Lance to know he had been letting Pidge see their texts.

Instead he wrote:  ** _Sorry, thumb slipped._**

_Sure. That’ll work._

He paused then, unsure of what to say next.

_Do I go? I mean, I did say I wanted to study._

_But then he mentioned alcohol…and I called it a date and-_

_Oh fuck. What the hell have I done!?_

“Piiidddgggeee help me!”

When there was no response Keith waltzed back into the living room, where Pidge was now sprawled across his couch with headphones in.

_RUDE!_

But he supposed she had already done enough. This was his problem to deal with now.

_I can’t even call it a problem. In fact, it’s sort of the opposite of a problem!_

_This is a dream come true!_

A smile tugged at the corners of Keith’s lips, and before he could overthink it, he sent Lance another quick text.

**_What should I bring?_ **

As soon as it sent Keith regretted the question. Clearly he needed his homework, since that had been the whole premise behind the ‘date’ in the first place.

But then, Lance had mentioned alcohol…was it customary for Keith to bring his own? Should he have asked if snacks were on him? Or was that implied?

_What are the customs for this sort of thing?!_

With Pidge now ignoring him, Keith was left to fret by himself. Bringing food was not really an option, unless Lance was a fan of stale crackers and uncooked macaroni, so what else was there?

_Flowers?_

Yeah. No.

He made his way to his room, swiftly packing up the things he would need and stopping just long enough to see Lance had replied.

**_Whatever you want ;)_ **

_Jesus he uses a lot of winky faces._

But Keith still had to bite back the smile as his stomach flipped nervously at the thought of hanging out with Lance.

_I have about twenty minutes…Do I have time to go to the store?_

_I could get chips or ice cream or….condoms?_

_Oh. No. Keith stop._

He shook his head, but the thought remained firmly planted, causing his insides to squirm anxiously in anticipation.

_It’s a study date! That’s all. Just sharing a few drinks and a mutual hatred of physics._

_Although…._

Keith sighed, already resigning himself to the idea. Even if things didn’t go that far, which Keith had mixed feelings about, his condom supply was running on the low side anyway.  

_It wouldn’t hurt to pick some up. Shiro would have something to say if I didn’t. And they’re good to have on hand in case of….emergencies?_

_Maybe…yeah.  Fuck it._

He grabbed his jacket from off his bed, donned his backpack and made sure to ruffle Pidge’s hair before leaving. She flipped him off, which was as close to a heartfelt goodbye as he was going to get, and he closed the door behind himself.

He pulled his phone out and sent another quick text to Lance before getting on his bike.

**_What’s your favourite flavour?_ **

And then, because his face began burning as his mind took a detour down paths he wished not venture, he made sure to clarify.

**_Of chips._ **

He didn’t wait for a reply, instead starting up the engine and focusing on the leather seat between his legs instead of-

_THIS IS A STUDY DATE._

_Studying. Physics._

And true to the laws of the books he carried on his back, what goes up, must come down. Eventually.

Right?

Needless to say it wasn’t the most comfortable ride to the store.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll update this as it goes  
> Next part will be in a separate chapter


End file.
